Brady Township continues moving forward with plans to build its own fire station as it withdraws from the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority (SKCFA) April 1.
At the board’s March 11 meeting, it voted to authorize Supervisor Randy Smith to write a check for $1 to John and Anne Boers for purchase of the property on which the fire station will be built. The property is located on 28th Street just south of V Avenue, making it centrally located in the Township.
The Boers have donated the two-acre site in exchange for the $1 payment.
Smith has also been authorized to act as the closing agent for the land purchase transaction. At the closing, he will also pay the title company fees.
Smith is getting bids for building the fire station which is expected to cost about $770,000. The township has about $600,000 in savings specifically for the station.
The township has contracted with Pavilion Township to provide fire and emergency services as of April 1, 2026.
Smith said he had talked to Pavilion officials, adding the neighboring township’s board is excited about the change.
“They are happy and ready to go,” he said. “They have no regrets.”
During the workshop session prior to the meeting, Smith reported that Brady, Prairie Ronde and Wakeshma Townships have been overpaying the SKCFA for the last six years. Payments from the participating municipalities are based on a formula of 30 percent population, 40 percent usage, and 30 percent taxable value.
“Based on that formula, we should be getting a refund,” Smith said.
Much of the board’s March agenda was approving routine items for the 2026-2027 fiscal year such as the budget, which was approved after no one spoke at a public hearing on the matter.
The one resident who attended the meeting was concerned about the noxious weed ordinance that was going to be adopted. She was concerned because she leaves one acre of her three-acre property untended for deer and other animals.
Smith explained that the previous noxious weed ordinance was old and out of date and parts of it were no longer in sync with state regulations.
“Our lawyer thought it better to just redo the whole thing rather than redo it piece by piece,” he said.
He explained to her how to proceed if there is ever an issue with her field.
The board also approved the Information and Application Packet for Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments. Smith explained that in the past no resident has ever requested a text amendment in a zoning ordinance. Anticipating that this could happen, Smith said that this new document allows residents to apply for an amendment.
Treasurer Elise Stephens presented a bid of $3,681 from Oswalt Electric for installing the ballot box and cameras around the ballot box outside the Township Hall. The camera will record 24/7 and has iCloud backup. The ballot box will only be unlocked during election season. The board approved the bid.
County Commissioner John Gisler reported on training sessions provided by the Office of Emergency Management. The sessions will be on April 1 and 15. The April 1 session is at the Oshtemo Fire Department and the April 15 session at the Expo Center. Sessions run from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
On April 18, there will be Skywarn Training to train volunteers to spot severe weather, said Gisler. The training will be on April 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Red Cross office at 5460 Venture Court.
Gisler also reported that a child care millage has been “kicked around” at the county level, but if it comes up for a vote, he will vote against it.
“We can’t be everything to everybody all the time,” he said. “I don’t think child care is part of that.”
